At first glance, G-Saviour: The Movie has a lot in common with Sci-Fi series such as SeaQuest DSV and FarScape. There is an interesting cast of characters, a mixture of pre-made sets, and an array of computer generated elements all coexisting in a nearly seamless fantasy world. Much like the failed Doctor Who TV movie starring Paul McGann, G-Saviour suffers from a lackluster plot that makes it into nothing more than a footnote in the Gundam universe.

The first thing that anime fans will undoubtedly notice about G-Saviour is the fact that the entire movie plays host to North American actors. That's right, this full-framed movie was made especially for the 20th Anniversary of Gundam and features some semi-recognizable faces in the main and supporting roles. Still, no matter how recognizable some of the actors are, there is some pretty over-the-top acting going on at times. That was not something that I was expecting to see in a show of this nature. Luckily, there are the truly amazing CG battles that steal the show.

The universe is on the brink of galactic upheaval. People in the colonies are starving to death because the government controls the means of food production. A small band of rebels are attempting to find alternative methods and unwittingly get Marc Curran, a former military officer and deep sea researcher, and his politician girlfriend Mimi Devere in the middle of situation that could start a galactic war.

How does the G-Saviour fit into all of this? It seems the G-Saviour is a tool used by a new vein of the secret organization known as the Illuminati to give hope to the people. As fate would have it, Marc is offered the chance to pilot the G-Saviour but he declines and in classic Sci-Fi fashion he is forced to take the helm when everyone's life is in danger. Clearly, the story is a bit too formulaic and suffers from being too guessable as to where the action is headed. Even the plot twist are in no way shocking or even unexpected.

The DVD is unsurprisingly sparse in terms of extras. Sure, there is the option to turn on the original Japanese language track, but without any subtitles, or even dubtitles, there really isn't any point in watching this movie in Japanese. Other than the language track all that is left are some trailers for other Gundam series and a small picture gallery with some rather interesting pictures of some character conceptual art.

So, why should a Gundam fan care to see this movie? The truth is the movie shows a side of the Gundam universe that is often forgotten... why the wars start in the first place. If you've ever been curious to see that side of things then this movie, regardless of it's acting and plot faults is worth checking out. Plus, it wouldn't be wise to miss some good old fashioned hero versus villain CG Gundam fights.